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The Spirit of the Season: Marist Celebrates the Holidays

The holiday season is an opportunity for Marist students, faculty, and staff to give special expression to some of the core principles that guide the College year-round: a dedication to community and service.

The Marist campus community gathered recently for the annual Giving Tree ceremony, held in the College's Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel, to collect 902 gifts for 28 local families in need, including 94 children.

Working with local service agencies Dutchess Outreach, Grace Smith House, Family Services, Catholic Charities, Poughkeepsie Family Literacy, Catharine Street Community Center, and Dutchess County BOCES GED & ESL programs, Marist's Campus Ministry identified the needs and wishes of recipients – a mother who needs a warm winter coat, a six-year-old girl who would like a bike – and posted them on paper ornaments that decorated trees across campus.

Students, faculty, and staff then picked wishes to fulfill, wrapped the gifts and brought them to the ceremony, which was held in conjunction with a candlelight Mass.

Also again this holiday season, Marist's Music Department presented an Ecumenical Service of Lessons and Carols at the Redeemed Christian Fellowship, a historic church in the City of Poughkeepsie, which provided hundreds of members of the local community with a free program of seasonal music and singing by the College's accomplished bands and choral groups.

And, of course, the most visible symbol of the holidays at Marist – the Marist tree, lit in red and white from top to bottom and trunk to tip – is again delighting the campus, as well as visitors and passersby from the surrounding community.

The Marist community wishes everyone a joyful holiday season and a happy new year!